Shirley Avery

Shirley Avery

New London, NH - Shirley Sanderson Avery, 89, died peacefully November 20th, surrounded by family at Woodcrest Village in New London, NH of Alzheimer's disease.

Shirley was born July 7, 1936 to Elgin and Eleanor(Nichols) Sanderson in Concord, NH. She attended Concord public schools and Brown University, graduating in 1958. At the age of 20, she married Bruce Avery, childhood friend and companion, and the absolute love of her life. They were married for nearly 65 years, until Bruce's passing in 2021.

In her own words: "After college graduation, I joined Bruce in NH where he was fulfilling his military obligation in the United States Navy. What we thought would be a three year tour for him became a 20 year commitment and a career for me as a Navy wife. We spent three years in Newport, RI where our daughter was born, and the next two years in the Philippines. It was an adventure for us, with fascinating travel in the Far East portion of the world.

In 1965 we returned to a taste of southern living in Charleston, SC where our son was born. We retuned to New England in 1967 when the Navy selected Bruce for Harvard University's two year MBA program. Our next assignment was a 10 year stay in Washington DC. I tutored in the public schools and participated in Navy volunteer activities. When we reentered civilian life, we opened a Washington base defense consulting business and worked together for several years. Traveling became our avocation including a number of Brown University Traveler trips. We moved back to NH in 2006 and now live on a beautiful small lake closer to our grandchildren."

Throughout her adult life, her focus was always on her family. Often times, she was the sole parent at home while Bruce traveled extensively during his naval career and afterward in the consulting world. She was known to be a firm but fair parent, a reliable and responsive neighbor, a caring friend and a most faithful partner of Bruce's. The return to New Hampshire brought Shirley and Bruce back to Pleasant Lake in New London, where the Avery family had established roots since the 1960's. Shirley proved her flair for gardening in a most beautiful fashion. Her gardens were full of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, coneflowers, clematis, lilies, and daisies galore. Vegetables grew with abundance and she was always sharing the bounty of her tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.

Shirley and Bruce joined St. Andrews Episcopal Church in New London and were actively involved in all aspects of the church. While Bruce focused on the inner workings of the church, Shirley turned her focus to the Altar Guild, the Thrift shop and hosting many after service coffee get togethers, where she was known for bringing a huge assortment of homemade goodies for all to enjoy. They were constant fixtures at the weekly summer cookouts.

They were not strangers in their community centered around Pleasant Lake, as Shirley and Bruce ran the Pleasant Lake Protective Association (PLPA) "store" for several years. They attended most, if not all of the PLPA meetings, always committed to the stewardship of their special place they were proud to call home.

She is survived by her daughter, Leslie Pferchy and her husband Ron, of New London and her son Steven Avery and his wife Jean, of North Grafton, MA, grandchildren Nicole Ratliff and her husband Greg, of Leland, NC, Matthew Pferchy of Leland, NC, Nicholas Avery of Quincy, MA, and Alexandra Avery of Chestnut Hill, MA, and great grandson Tyler Ratliff, also of Leland, NC. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Carol Avery Haber of New York City, Barbara Avery of Woodstock, NH, Cheryl Sanderson of Concord, NH and several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their thanks, gratitude and respect to the nurses and support staff in the Courtyard at Woodcrest Village for their incredible personal care of Shirley during the the last three and a half years, especially the last two weeks of her life.

If you are so inclined, please consider a contribution to Tunnel to Towers (t2t.org) in Shirley's name.